St. John of the Cross Catholic School in Euclid to close

St. John of the Cross Catholic School in Euclid will be closing at the end of the 2014 school year, citing financial difficulties and decreased enrollment.
Families were notified of the closure Wednesday night at a parent informational meeting at the school.
At the same time, Ss. Robert and William Catholic School in Euclid also held an informational meeting to discuss the partnership that will be made between the two parishes.
The partnership was formed as a way to transition those enrolled at St. John of the Cross to continue their education at Ss. Robert and William.
The Rev. John Betters, pastor of Ss. Robert and William, said at the meeting that, in December, the Rev. Salvatore Ruggeri, pastor of St. John of the Cross, told him the neighboring school might close.
“He told me his enrollment was declining at a rapid rate, with only 14 or 15 in kindergarten this year, and his school is facing a $150,000 deficit,” Betters said.
St. John of the Cross school has an enrollment of 229 students this school year, with 45 students graduating in the summer, lowering the number of students to 184.
Ss. Robert and William has 348 students enrolled this school year.
“My guess is that we will get roughly half of their students,” Betters said. “Right now our homerooms average about 20 to 22 students ... with the merge, my guess homerooms will increase to about 26 students.”
The final decision was made Monday by Ruggeri, Betters and the Most Rev. Richard Lennon, bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland.
Staff at St. John of the Cross were notified Tuesday.
Ss. Robert and William Catholic School will not be changing names, and all current faculty at the school will remain.
Faculty at St. John of the Cross will be let go at the end of this school year, but Betters said if there is an opening at his school, he will hire from St. John of the Cross faculty if they are qualified and licensed.
As part of the partnership, the parishes have formed a leadership team that will include Betters, Ruggeri, Martha Dodd, principal of St. John of the Cross and Meg Cosgriff, principal of Ss. Robert and William.
Other changes that might be made are the start time, if approved by the Euclid School Board, from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m., an updated uniform and combined parent association, CYO and boosters groups.
St. John of the Cross parish will remain open, and there are no plans to sell the school building, Betters said.
“We need to rise to the occasion,” he said. “There is a whole group of people who are going to be hurting. We need to help them feel very welcome here.”
St. John of the Cross requested privacy when contacted Wednesday about the closure.
“Our hearts go out to them,” said Mike Sweet of Euclid, who has four children enrolled at Ss. Robert and William school. “We know the families and we want them to feel like they have a home here.”